Operation on Christmas Eve

Hi Tony And welcome to the community. It’s understandable to be scared, certainly about the issues you mention and from what you say your consultants must have brought them up. Head and neck surgeons are really skilled in what they do and I’m sure they will do their best. I would advise you to stay right off Google. Rotten to be in hospital over Christmas. Take a tablet and a phone and something to read if you can plus a long charging lead and phones. Good luck and I hope you’re home soon. Best wishes 

TonyLF - So sorry to hear of your diagnosis, and Christmas Eve is not a day anyone would want to spend in an operating theatre, not that it is ideal on any day, except in so far as it deals with cancer.

The only reassurance I would offer is that, in my experience, surgeons do their very best to avoid any compromise of function and appearance and give the best outcome possible.

My surgery was to mouth, jaw and neck. I still have some residual issues with odd sensations, some puffiness from oedema  and a mouth that is slightly lopsided, but far less than I expected, and nothing like what I feared.

Your doctors are duty bound to warn you about all possible negative outcomes, but they will do their best to minimise them.

I was warned about possible effects on speech and swallowing, but with therapy afterwards I have no problems with either six months post-surgery.

No one can deny that this sort of surgery is very challenging and there are lasting effects, but in my experience the surgeons do their best to ensure the best outcome, usually much  better than what you fear.

Wishing you the best of luck.

Cathy and Dani

Thank you so much for your reassuring replies.

Tony

Hi Tony welcome from me .Can’t add much to Dani and Cathy. Good luck for the op not an ideal date,but no date is when we hear the word cancer. Put faith in your team our n hs are world leader s in head and neck treatment.. remember your password fir in here then you can  update whrn  you’re able to after the op. 
best wishes Hazel 

Here's an update.  I had the op on Christmas Eve. They took away a few lymph nodes and a lot of parotid gland tissue. No result yet from any analysis.  I'd just like to say, for the benefit of anyone else facing this, that my fears were largely unmet. I was discharged from hospital the next day and had the drain removed a couple of days later,  although I have lost feeling in one ear and cannot quote bare my teeth in the way I could, my facial muscles are largely unaffected.  And I can still sing!

I'm not back to normal yet.  I still have the staples closing the wound and it seems swollen and slightly oozy today (I assume this is normal?). I still haven't found a comfortable position to lie in bed .  But, all in all, it's  pretty good.

Just the fun of an endoscopy to look forward to on Monday and the staples out on Wednesday.  Thanks to everyone for their support.

Hi Tony thanks for update. Oh yes the camera up teh nose we all get used to it eventually.

Hazel 

It won't be up the nose. (Hint, I have to have an enema first.)

Ok thought nose sorry. Missed that on post. 

Thanks for the update. So pleased they’ve left your facial nerve alone. 

Unknown said:

Just the fun of an endoscopy to look forward to on Monday and the staples out on Wednesday.  Thanks to everyone for their support.

Don’t worry about that. Most of the clinicians do them all the time and are pretty slick at it. I don’t even bother with any local anaesthetic on the end of the scope. 

Hi Tony and thanks for the update.  Great to hear that the op went well for you.  Hopefully in time you may recover some feeling once the nerves begin repairing themselves.

All the best  for next week and hope you get good results.

Linda x